The Opelousas courier., 1887-09-03

as if it took n persons time to III u
and down stairs with books for them I
b borried and returned"
"Well, I'll see," said Mary Ann.
And once more she clattered u
stairs.
"IIcre's Jane Eyre miss" said she
"And Mrs. Castleton wants to borr
'Peverirs Peak"
"Lct her have it," said Lois.
Mary Ann advanced close to her mis-.
trcss.
miss Lois" said she, in a confden
tial ndertone, 'ff it amt maxim to-
bold, why don't we keep a circulatin:
library instead of a free lending place
hccrd the bookseller say to-day, whil'
was wrapping up my packets and
things in brown paper, as he made more
money out of his circulating library than
he did out of his regular business"
Lois frightened up.
''There's some sense in what you say,
Mary Ann" said she. money must be
had in some way, aud poor Uncle Yer
ney's books shall earn it for us. I'll
cover and number them myself, and
you shall give them out and take them
in"
Mary Ann was not a bad business
agent, and the circulating library bust
ness prospered in a small way.
And between whites, Lois did law
copying and mended the already twice
darned house linen. Anything-any-
thing to escape the pitiless demons of
thought and memoryl
"'C.arissa Harlowe,' cha That's
number fourteen" said Mary Ann to
Betsy Roper, a round checked serving
maid, who had stepped around with
her apron over her head and a bright
silver shilling tied in the corner of her
pockethandkerch;ef, "Tts the first call
we've had for 'C..arissa Harlowe.
Tdon'tknow much about 'un, "said Bet
sey, b.ushing q vivid plum color; shut
my old uncle in Yorrukshirc, he always
toald me to be sure and read 'un when /
gotten a chance. He said there were no
such books writ these days as 'uu. / can
keep 'un in the dressers drawer and read
'un at night when the back O. my work
IS broken"
Betsey Roper went away chuckling,
with the first volume of "Ciarissa Har-
lowe" under her arm, done up in brown
paper, and neatly ck-threaded.
But in her desire to cultivate a lit
erary taste, Betsey had calcelated with
out her mistress. sClarissa" had not lain
under the napkins in the dresser drawer
two hours when Miss Minerva Dorr tri-
umphantly possessed herself of it in the
course of a search after a missing jap
AIMED tray.
"Ah" said Miss Minerva, '%novels,
eh In my kitchen! Not if know it'
= And she carried ''C!arissa' up to her
brothers survey without loss of TIM.
"Just sec here, David, if you please"
said she, quiyering all over with right
eous Indignation. "And that En- glish
girl too, who came so highly recommend.
ed, hiding novels away in your kitchen!
What is this world coming too"
Doctor Dorr glanced up from his
writing with a smile.
"Why," said he, 81 suppose house.
maids like to read as we'll as other peo-
Like" repeated Miss Minerva, "a sill
y novel like thisg"
An old English classic, Minerva"
gently corrected her brother. 'tNot
til my style of reading, but I see
no harm in it."
II shall talk to B.tsey when she gets
back with the yeast" said Miss Dorr
I'm the meantime you will
keep the book here"
Miss Dorr descended once more into
he subterranean regions, determined to
ee the thing through.
Doctor Dorr took up the book and
Lowry turned the leaves over. /,
"Helloi" he said to himself, there's
wo leaves pasted together, with some
hing between themf' !
He separated the sealed leaves deity !,
With his ivory paper cutter. +,
A letter lay there, directed in a deli /,
ate woman's handwriting, to doctor ,
David Dorr.n
Hc-opened ii, with a strange, giddy :
in his head. ,
It was q letter that Lois Verney had !,
toihim fvc years ago-the letter )
hat said, 50 sinnocently, 50 frankly: !
II love You. I will be your. wife, !,
Major Verncy had put the letter there. :.
t required more moral courage than he !
assessed to destroy it out and out; SO J
9 had compounded matters by hiding :
between the leaves OF "Clarissa Har-
book which nobody cared to ),
sad in this generation. And Major !.
'erney had died and made no signl !
Doctor Dsrr rose mp hurriedly. He
ould guess how it all was. His heart j
'apcd joyfully in his breast all the
ord seemed %couleur dc rose to him. .
He took the letter In his hand and car.